Ontario International Airport continued march toward full recovery in February as passenger count neared pre-pandemic level

Ontario International Airport (ONT) welcomed almost 358,000 air passengers in February, more than twice as many as the same month last year and 98.5% of the total in February 2019 as the airport edged closer to full recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ontario International Airport (ONT) welcomed almost 358,000 air passengers in February, more than twice as many as the same month last year and 98.5% of the total in February 2019 as the airport edged closer to full recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Domestic travelers totaled nearly 347,000 in February, which was 131% higher than last year and 1% more than February 2019.

The number of international passengers was almost 11,000 last month, five times more than February last year, but nearly half as many as the same month in 2019.

Over the first two months of the year, ONT’s passenger volume totaled more than 697,000, an increase of nearly 130% compared with last year and 92% of the total number of travelers during January and February of 2019.

“Ontario International continues to set the pace for pandemic recovery among medium and large hub airports in California,” said Alan D. Wapner, president of the Ontario International Airport Authority (OIAA) Board of Commissioners. “While rising fuel costs and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine pose some uncertainty for air travel, we are confident that our aviation gateway will be a leader among airports nationwide when passengers return to more usual travel patterns.”

Wapner also pointed to February’s strong growth in air cargo shipments in noting ONT’s appeal to freight shippers. Last month, ONT received nearly 61,000 tons of freight and mail combined, which was 18% more than the total tonnage in February 2019.

Over January and February, ONT cargo shipments totaled more than 129,000 tons, 15.8% more than the same period in 2019.

“Ontario International Airport delivers a first rate, hassle-free experience in our passenger terminals while providing spacious, modern facilities for our shipping partners and driving economic growth across the region,” Wapner said.